A memorable scene Monday at UH

Darren Dunn never thought he’d get rousing cheers from an audience just for walking into work on a Monday morning.

But when the University of Houston senior associate athletic director arrived at the Athletics/Alumni Center on Monday — at an earlier than usual 5 a.m. — that’s exactly what he got from a group of UH students who had been camping outside the building since the wee hours of the morning.

“When you see 200-300 students in line cheering you on to go in the office, it’s pretty cool,” Dunn said. “And they don’t know who I am. They’re excited to be UH students right now.”

The students that cheered Dunn’s entrance had been camping out since the wee hours of the morning in sub-40 degree weather, waiting patiently yet anxiously for 8 a.m. to strike — the time that the UH ticket office would begin selling student tickets for the Conference USA championship game, which pits No. 7 UH vs. No. 24 Southern Mississippi at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Robertson Stadium. With a win, UH (12-0) can clinch the C-USA title and a BCS bowl berth.

Dylan Blackwell was one of the earliest arrivers. The senior political science major wasn’t about to let the opportunity to witness the undefeated Cougars who are ranked seventh in the Associated Press poll and sixth in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, get a shot at a C-USA title and possible BCS bowl berth.

Blackwell remembers the demand in 2009 for UH’s home game against Texas Tech that September. He wasn’t able to secure a seat to that game, which UH won 29-28 before a sellout crowd, which meant he was willing to go to great lengths this week.

“I got there at about 1:30 (a.m.) and there were about 40-50 people there,” Blackwell said. “Maybe around 3 (a.m.) it broke 100 and then from there, people were just filing in.”

The people that were camping out mingled and turned the night into a pleasant one, Blackwell said.

“There were some people sleeping but it was more like a relaxed party almost,” Blackwell said. “Some people were talking, some people were out there throwing around the football, there was music. It wasn’t crazy, but people were having a good time.”

Among those having a grand old time were members of the UH volleyball squad. Several team members camped out together in an effort to snag the student tickets, which were priced at $5 apiece.

Sophomore defensive specialist Meredith Ware, who was one of the volleyball players waiting it out, said the scene was a sign of how far the campus has come in terms of school spirit.

“It kind of signifies how our (athletic) program is developing so much,” Ware said. “I’ve seen how much school spirit has developed. For me, school spirit, tradition, those types of things are the highlight of every college experience I could possibly have. Seeing our friends on TV has been icing on top of the cake.”

Erickson Ybarra, a senior philosophy student, has been to every UH home came in the last two years and wasn’t about to miss this one. So he arrived early on Monday morning too. He said spirits were good amongst those who were waiting.

“It was obviously really cold,” Ybarra said. “There were a couple of people that had been there for awhile and they broke out some radios and we were listening to music. Everyone started talking and the air started filling with chatter before the sun even came up.”

Once the sun was up, several UH football players came out to show their appreciation for the students. Among them were receiver Justin Johnson, linebacker Marcus McGraw and running back Michael Hayes who helped pass out donuts to the students.

“Some were shocked, some were just excited,” McGraw said. “We just wanted to let them know how much we appreciate everything they’ve done.”

Hayes said he can’t wait to feel the energy they’ll provide when they enter the stadium on Saturday.

“They were waiting outside in 30-degree weather,” Hayes said. “Just think how they’re going to be at the start of the game (on Saturday). The fans really give us energy.”

It was truly a team effort by UH, which had quite a bit of staff on hand earlier than normal on Monday to help with the crowd. Dunn said that most of the folks that work in the ticket office were at the Athletics/Alumni Center for almost two days straight, save for some time for each of them to go home for a few hours and get some sleep.

The crew had set up four different lines from which to purchase the tickets from inside the Great Hall and keep things organized. The players can sense the excitement on campus.

“It’s even more exciting because this year we have a lot more on the line,” McGraw said, when comparing it to the excitement in 2009. “We have even more on the line. We have an opportunity to do something that only one other team in the nation can say right now and that’s having an undefeated season.”

“I think it says a lot,” Dunn said. “The coaches, the student-athletes, the administration are doing all the right things. When you have a great product, they play well, they’re good people on and off the field, people respond to that. And I think that’s a testament, when you have a great program, not just one piece of it, but an entire strong program, people get excited like this. And that’s a testament to (athletic director) Mack Rhoades.”